Ventura Yacht Club Builds New Docks, Hosts Major Boating Events in 2015
(Ventura, California) The Ventura Yacht Club at Ventura Harbor continues to make capital improvements at its facilities, as well as draw large boating events to Ventura Harbor.
Beginning in late September and continuing for several weeks through October, the club demolished four older boat docks and replaced them with two 60-foot slips and five 42-foot concrete docks, bringing the total of slips at the club to 99.
“We have a long waiting list for slips. We continue to invest in improving our facilities and the Ventura Harbor,” said Ventura Yacht Club member Bill Crew, who chaired the slip expansion project.
The Ventura Yacht Club, which last year celebrated its 75th anniversary at the Ventura Harbor, also announces it will host two big boat races in the summer of 2015 at Ventura Harbor.
The Board of Directors of the United States Optimist Dinghy Association (USODA) has accepted the club’s proposal to host the 2015 USODA West Coast Championship (Regatta) August 8-9, 2015. The Optimist is one of the most popular sailing dinghies in the world and this event will draw about 150 sailors and their families to Ventura Harbor. The public is welcome to come out and watch the races, some of which will be sailed inside the Ventura Harbor. The Ventura Yacht Club has hosted Optimist regattas in past years, including racers from other states, but this event will draw young racers from all over the world.
In addition, the Ventura Yacht Club will co-host the North American Invitational (NAI), a precision navigation powerboat contest held each fall between some of the best log racers in the United States and Canada. The event will be from September 9-12, 2015, in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Ventura Yacht Club Commodore Don Roy points to the two prestigious international events as examples of the club’s commitment to the Ventura Harbor community.
“Hosting the NAI Log Race and the West Coast Championships provides not only our Ventura racers the opportunity to compete in top-level regattas, but it allows all the participants to experience our perfect sailing conditions and enjoy all the wonderful amenities available in our quaint harbor,” Roy said.
The yacht club also runs a Summer Sailing Camp for children and teens ages 8-18, providing weeklong sailing instruction for all levels of experience. Scholarships are available through generous donations from club members, the Ventura Port District and the Keith Turner Foundation so all can participate. Check out www.vycyouthsailing.org for more information.
The Ventura Yacht Club has been a major supporter of the Ventura Port District and Ventura Harbor in matters ranging from lobbying to get the harbor constructed – and reconstructed following devastating 1969 floods –to helping push for annual dredging to keep the harbor safe for navigation. The club also plays key roles in activities like the annual Christmas Parade of Lights and other events at Ventura Harbor.
“The partnership between the Ventura Port District and the Ventura Yacht Club spans more than 60 years and has been vital to the Port District’s continuing success,” said Ventura Port District Harbormaster Scott Miller. “The Ventura County Boat Club members spearheaded the efforts to establish Ventura Harbor and the Yacht Club continues to be an important stakeholder.”
To learn more about Ventura Harbor’s boater community, marinas, yacht clubs, resources and annual events, please visit the new www.venturaharbor.com website.